Can opener



July 21, 1931. BOLTON 1,815,094

CAN OPENER Filed March 7, 1930 Patented July 21, 1931 UNITED STATESJAMES D. BOLTON, 013 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA CAN OPENER Applicationfiled March 7, 1930. Serial No. 434,139.

This invention aims to provide a can opener having a novel form oflifting tongue for raising the portion of a can which has been cut looseby the opener.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of handle forthe cutting blade.

It is Within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the .10 utility of devices of that type to which the presentinvention appertains.

Vvith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the de tails of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that changes may be made inthe precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, within thescope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings 1- Figure 1 shows in top plan, a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal. section wherein parts appear in elevation;and

Figure 3 is a transverse section on the line 33 of Figure 2.

The can opener forming the subject matter of this application is made ofmetal through out, and may be a one-piece structure. It comprises acurved blade 1, of approximately circular form in top plan, as shown inFigure 1, the blade 1 having free ends 2, and having downwardlyconverging cutting edges 5 defining an entering point 3. A liftingtongue 4 is struck inwardly from the blade 1 and is located directlyabove the point 3, the tongue 40 4 extending upwardly, and slantinginwardly. The tongue 4 preferably is of rectangular outline, and has anupper edge 6 of appreciable length, disposed at right angles to the axisof the tongue, the tongue being of common width from end to end.

Because the tongue 4 is of a common width from end to end, it is welladapted to withstand the hard use to which it is subjected, the tongue 4being much more permanent and lasting than would be a pointed tongue.The

function of the tongue 4 will be made manifest hereinafter.

The handle of the can opener may be made in any desired way. Preferably,however, it includes a top strip 7 joined integrally at 8 to the upperedges of the blade 1, above the entering point 3. The top strip 7 iscontracted at 9 and folded at 10 to form a grip 11 which is of invertedtrough-shape, the side walls of the grip being brought into contact witheach other as shown at 15 in Figure 3. The top strip 7 haslaterally-prolonged, outwardly extended arms 12 which are bent uponthemselves at 16 to form underlying, inwardly-extending fingers 14 whichrest on the upper edge of the blade 1, near to the free ends 2. Thegeneral construction of the handle is such that it can be made attrifling expense, an exceedingly strong structure resulting.

In operation, the entering point 3 of the blade 1 is forced down intothe top of the can and a piece is cut out from the top of the can, thespace between the ends 2 of the blade 1 permitting a part of the can topto remain as a hinge, so that the cut-out portion can'be closed upagain, if desired. After the entering point 3 has been forced down intothe can top to the desired. extent, the grip 11 is swung down, the toolworking like a lever,

and the tongue 4 engaging beneath the severed part of the can top, toswing the severed part of the can top open.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is A can openerfashioned from a single piece of metal, formed into a curved bladehaving free ends and supplied at its lower extremity with an enteringpoint located diametrically opposite to its free ends, the blade beingprovided with means for lifting the portion of a can which is severed bythe blade, there being an inwardly extended top strip connected at oneend to the upper edge of the blade directly above the entering point,the top strip JAMES D. BOLTON.

